Calgary Floral Design Company

About Us

We’re Calgary’s Premier Hospitality Firm.

We are Simply Elegant, an accomplished events and catering company headquartered in Calgary Alberta. We provide expert planning, catering, floral, decor and management services for all kinds of events, including private parties, corporate events, and weddings.

We are a multi-divisional company that offers a full range of services to meet all your planning needs in one place. We love what we do, and we’d love the opportunity to see how we could make your life easier and your event the best it could be. You could say “We’re in the Business of Events.”

We started as a catering company in 1996. Owner Robert Vidra, a trained chef, came to Calgary determined to open a catering operation that met the specific needs of the business community. He talked to everyone from receptionists to the CEO’s of Calgary’s largest companies, designing a catering company that would best meet the needs of the Calgary culture.

The business developed a reputation for providing excellent food, outstanding service and tremendous value. In fact, the service was so good that Simply Elegant’s clients encouraged the company to move into events, because of their unwavering attention to detail. Simply Elegant expanded into events in 2005, adding a nationally recognized, award-winning designer and events planner to the staff.

Now, instead of having to deal with a variety of vendors, clients are able to turn over everything to Simply Elegant, right from the early planning through to the decorations, catering, entertainment, execution and clean up.

We actively listen in order to understand the corporate culture and needs of our clients and create events that reflect their brand and values. We do not believe in “one size fits all.” Rather, we customize events by working collaboratively with our clients. We never take for granted the trust that our clients and vendors put in us.

Simply Elegant staff are experts in their field. Numerous employees have enjoyed long-standing careers at Simply Elegant. We value their loyalty and support their continued education.

We have established strong, working relationships with our vendors and treat them how we want to be treated. We believe that honesty, integrity and social responsibility are vital to our corporate culture and seek out vendors with similar values. Our future includes caring for the planet and we actively seek ways to lessen our footprint on it. We are mindful of the environment as we design our events.

Leadership starts at the top. It has always been the core principle of Robert Vidra to accept responsibility for all that happens and not blame others; all of our staff follow that same conviction.

We enjoy what we do by creating fun and a little magic.

Our business is not an object but a live entity; we are a community of people who love to work and socialize together.

We believe that change is inevitable and by accepting the evolution of change, we can inspire others.

There is nothing more important than communication.

We are open to accepting constructive criticism.

We accept that each person has strengths and weaknesses; we recognize the strengths of others and minimize their weaknesses by providing support and working as a team.

Success is directly measured by those around you; we cannot be what we are without our staff and vendors – it’s the people we work with that make us great.

Community

Each person is required to work in other departments so they understand the other divisions.

We share in the joys of others and their lives.

We are community minded and give time, money, food and services to the Calgary community.

We believe in doing the right thing even when it is not the easy thing.

We believe business is earned and trust cannot be abused.

Education

Enlightenment through education brings out the best in us.

We give employees company money to go out for dinners and experience new things that make them happy.

Environment

Supporting strong policies since 1996; we did what was right before most people cared.

We recycle, reuse and reduce.

Vendors

We do not take advantage of our vendors; it is through collaborating with them that we can succeed.

Simply Elegant’s Green Initiative

There’s no point being a premiere events and catering company if we’ve run out of planet to live on. So we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously.

Here are some of the ways we work towards sustainability:

FOOD

We support and purchase from local food products and suppliers

We use organic vegetables where possible

90% of the meat we purchase is from Alberta, including free range fed chickens and turkeys

25% of all produce we purchase is grown locally in the Pacific NW

90% of the fruit we buy comes from North America

DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS

We provide biodegradable disposable cocktail and lunch plates

We provide “green” cutlery at client’s request

Since 1996, we’ve used chaffing dishes (not tinfoil) for all hot food

We use plastic platters, which are sanitized and reused, instead of disposable ones

Our food is presented on china by request

WE RECYCLE

All cardboard and office paper products

Kitchen cooking oil

Bottles and cans with proceeds being donated to local community groups

We Support

Our Team

Robert Vidra

C.E.O and Owner

Robert is a certified chef and has worked in the hospitality industry for over 35 years. He founded Simply Elegant in 1996 and designed each division to complement each other. He named Simply Elegant after Albert Einstein’s theory “if we can describe the universe in a ‘simple but elegant way’ we can understand the universe.” Simply Elegant has prospered due to Robert’s belief and nurturing the staff community. With his leadership Simply Elegant has grown from its humble beginnings as a catering company to a full-range hospitality firm.

Sharon Barwick

Director of Special Events

Sharon is a Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) and has been a manager with Simply Elegant since 2004 in the roles of operations manager, florist, decorator, wedding and event planner. Prior to Simply Elegant, she owned a successful Vancouver floral and event decorating company. As a key note speaker and educator in the event industry, she has been a member of the International Live Events Association for over 25 years. Sharon is also an educator at Mount Royal University where she teaches the Business of Weddings and Social Events.

Peter Schwarz

Director of Food & Beverage

Peter received his “top drawer” training at the Hotel Management School in Leipzig, Germany and honed his skills during his 8 years at Kempinski Hotels and Resorts, one of the oldest European hotel chains. His previous experience ranges from being a tea expert to an extensive knowledge of Champagne. His calm, professional demeanor is perfectly suited for coordinating large, international catered events to small, intimate dinner parties. Our clients love Peter’s attention to detail and personalized service when it comes to menu selection for their events.

Toni Guffei

Marketing Director

Toni oversees our marketing department from design work and social media programming to implementing other digital and traditional media campaigns for Simply Elegant. With more than 20 years experience in marketing and branding, Toni is also involved in marketing research and ROI estimates. She is experienced in measuring performance indicators for events. Plus she’s been an adjunct professor for 10 years at MRU teaching courses in marketing, research and branding. Toni has a BA in Economics and an MBA in Marketing.

Jason Wareham

Executive Chef

Jason started his career in the hospitality industry in 1997 and graduated from SAIT’s Professional Cooking Program in 2001. Jason has worked his way up from a Garde Manger at well-known hotel chains to the Executive Sous Chef at Fort Calgary before joining our team. Armed with innovative ideas and creative food menus, he sources fresh produce from local suppliers and makes everything in-house from scratch. We’re proud of this work because he’s elevated the Simply Elegant brand with his unique approach to preparing quality food for our customers.

Shelley Clements

Office & Accounting Manager

Shelley is the person behind the scenes keeping us organized by handling both the office and accounting functions. Shelley came to Simply Elegant with over 25 years in the industry where she did everything from being a short order cook, to serving and managing a downtown pub. Ten years of working at the famed King Eddy taught her a great deal about music and, more importantly, people. After 10 years with Simply Elegant, Shelley is a calm force during busy events. She has an eye for detail in our proposals and makes sure all the numbers add up.

Eduardo Cueva

IT Manager

Ed is a P.Eng. and an MBA who graduated from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Advanced Studies, in Mexico. With over 20 years of Information Technology consulting experience in North and Central America and the Caribbean, Ed is in charge of our Information Network. As part of our team since 2003, Ed has developed our information infrastructure onto a private cloud system which integrates communications, productivity, collaboration, data protection and security. He makes sure all of our internal systems are efficiently managed.

Alexander Zagoumenov

Digital Marketing Manager

Alex has over 10 years experience managing marketing campaigns through digital channels such as display, paid search and social media advertising. He previously worked on client accounts including Rolex and Mercedes-Benz USA. Alex has a Bachelor of Management (Marketing) degree and is a certified professional in Google AdWords, Inbound Marketing by HubSpot and Social Media Marketing by Hootsuite. Alex has worked with Simply Elegant for the past 5 years and is responsible for website development and our online marketing.

Jim Langley

Sales Consultant

Jim has over 30 years experience as a leader in the education sector. He has worked as Principal and Director with the Calgary Board of Education and coordinated many education projects ranging from design of school facilities, development of educational media projects and leadership of some of Calgary’s top schools. He has a Bachelor of Education, Diploma of Education, Masters of Education and a Certificate in Human Resources Management. Jim is proud to have had an extensive relationship with Simply Elegant for over 15 years as a client, copywriter and consultant.

Our floral design services

Wedding flowers bring sunshine with them, no matter the weather. They make children smile, elders reminisce and beautiful brides even more stunning. They also are a reflection of your personality and style. Let us know how we can create the perfect florals for you.

From the first meeting with our seasoned florists until the final delivery of your flower arrangement, you will know you are in capable hands. We start by understanding who your company’s culture and environment and what statement you are looking for.

Floral Design Blog

Those colder months are settling in and for many brides, it's all about a winter wedding. The winter backgrounds allow for a stunning collaboration of Mother Nature and simple elegance of a modern bride. And if you're thinking Canadian winters aren't conducive for...

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. You want everything to be perfect: your dress, your hair, the venue, even the seating arrangements have taken hours of planning and thought. Adding beautiful flowers to the ensemble is important as well –...

Undeniably, a gift of flowers makes us all feel special and loved. For thousands of years flowers have symbolized love, marriage and romance. This Valentine’s Day, if you’re thinking of giving your sweetheart flowers, give them a message meant just for them. Most...

Our Policies

Services
We manage all aspects of off site private and corporate Catering, Event Management, Wedding Planning, Decor & Florals.

Hours of Operation
We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday except for special events.

Ordering
Food orders should be placed at least one business day prior to the meal delivery. Nonetheless, we will accept orders until 9:30 am on the day of delivery if we have the resources available. Same day or rush orders may be subject to a 25% surcharge.

Hot Food Orders
As hot food requires more preparation time, orders should be placed two business days in advance of the day of the event. Hot meals require 8 or more of the same item.

Minimum Orders
Cold meals require a minimum of $75.00 before tax and delivery.

Order Changes
Volume increases to an order may be made up to 9:30 am the day of delivery. Reductions to an order are not possible the day of your event due to our production schedule.

Cancellations
All cancellations less than one business day in advance of delivery will be charged in full. We will deliver the food at the specified time unless requested otherwise by the client. Large parties will require more than one business day notice depending on the size of their event. Please refer to our cancellation policy regarding events.

Simply Elegant is committed to responsible management practices that provide a healthy and safe workplace for our employees and clients, and that safeguard the public while protecting the environment in which we work.

Our commitment includes:

Complying with established occupational health and safety regulations and environmental laws;

Integrating health, safety and environmental considerations into the way we conduct our business;

Management setting an example and providing leadership in health and safety, setting health and safety policies and procedures and providing training and adequate resources to perform the job safely;

Employees at all levels being responsible and accountable for the company’s health and safety. Active participation by everyone at all times, and in every job is necessary for the health and safety excellence Simply Elegant expects.